Is there a RSF field manual for firearms , I,bet light oil was more than enough. Even garands dont need a lot.
My Great Uncle said you only put a small dab of grease from the pot on the op rod guide and bottom of the bolt.
Said that little pot of grease should last many years. He also said state side only oil was applied to keep rust away?
I read a thread on ARFCOM where a British RAF ground troop vet said that they just lubed (with oil) the three main friction points on the gun. I'll probably buy a Dutch FAL manual once I get onto that project. Guess I'll get to learn what the Dutch word is for "gun oil" or "lubricant." Might come in handy if I visit Amsterdam stag
Let's keep it real. Everyone needs an AK first, then an FAL.
I've owned a .223 Saiga, a 7.62x54r Vepr, a Springfield Socom 16, and now a full FAL and a parts gun in progress (hint: I
really enjoy semi-auto .30 caliber rifles).
I think an AK is an important learning curve in gun ownership. Its good to know the ins and outs of AK ownership. But I think the market for AKs these days is such a shadow of its former self that there's really not much more reason to buy an AK other than "I want an AK." AKs aren't that much cheaper than a basic Anderson-lower AR in normal markets like RI, NH, or Maine. A WASR from Atlantic is $720. Same retailer, their cheapest AR is $420. The days of the "cheap" AK are over for retail customers buying new, whole rifles. Combined with how much slower an AK is to an AR on the clock and how the AR is "barbie dolls for men" in terms of modularity and interchangeability, there's not much objective benefit to owning an AK for someone exploring the market. But owning an AK is... a very fun experience.
The FAL is really the same deal, not being really "better" than anything else on the market, but with FAL builds, you can still buy and build real pieces of history. You can buy Rhodesian-marked FAL parts. You can't really buy actual Soviet AK parts. The closest thing we have is the Yugoslav parts kits from the Balkans War. But that's a very small market in comparison to the whole FAL parts kit universe. With FALs, you can build historic clones of guns that were used in the Malay Emergency, Aden, Vietnam, Rhodesia, the South African Border Wars, the Falklands War, etc. Not discrediting the (brutal) history of the Balkans Wars, just viewing the battlefield pickup Yugoslav AK market in comparison to the FAL kit market. If you want history, buy a FAL.
Between the FAL, M1A/M14, and AK, I would take the FAL. Between the AR and the FAL, its a very close call. Depends on the intended application.